Short Skirts and Iron Bars
by werewolfsgirl
Summary: Derek in prison...Chlerek...Read to find out. :D


**Author's Note: Hi! I got this idea because of a recent weekend. I had the idea before, but I had forgotten about it until this weekend. Now, I have to write it and get it out. Evil plot bunnies are stalking me. :D I love the idea and so far, I have not come across it, so it's kinda an original. Hopefully, it'll be something new, but something sweet or awesome. I'm going to write this a little different. Hope that ya'll like it.**

**P.S.-You all need to know what conjugal visits are. And, Chloe is 22 and Derek is 23. Oh, and the Edison Group is gone.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Darkest Powers series. That belongs to the great Kelley Armstrong. **

Short Skirts and Iron Bars

**CPOV**

Tuesday was Derek's 23rd birthday and we had all took him a present and a cake. We bribed the guards with the promise of a piece of a cake. Now today was Thursday and it was visiting day. I love visiting days. They are really great, almost as good as conjugal visit days. But they will never be as good as parole day. I cannot wait for parole day.

You all are probably wondering what in the hell is going on. I'm going to back up here and explain.

Number one, Derek is in prison. Pisses you off right? Me too. Anyways, my Derek, my mate, is locked up somewhere like an animal. Not cool.

Number two, he's in prison because of me. Five years ago, I was walking over to his house, late at night, and some rogue werewolf attacked me. Derek had told me to wait for him, but I was upset and wanted to be with him, so I decided to meet him halfway. I got about three fourths of the way there when I was attacked by some grody-looking werewolf. Ugh. Nasty business. So, I'm trying to fight back when Derek shows up. He does everything to get the guy to leave. He beats the shit out of this guy and he just won't quit. During the fight, Derek accidentally killed the guy. Unfortunately, a local called the cops and Derek got arrested. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and he got five years in the state penitentiary. After this, I was moved into Kit's home. I live with Kit, Simon, Tori, and once he gets out, Derek. And, no, they do not blame me for Derek's current location. I don't know how that happened, but they don't, and we're a family. I even call Kit "dad".

Number three, you all are probably wondering how he Changes and gets away with it. He mastered the Change when he was 17 and Changes at night in his cell. No roommate, so this works for him. Plus, the warden is a werewolf and is sympathetic to our situation. It's kind of funny. One of the guards, who is also a werewolf, puts Derek on a leash and lets him out in the yard for some exercise, passing him off as a guard dog.

Number four, Derek will be getting out in six months. The whole family is very excited about that piece of information. It's been hell without him at home. Even Tori misses him.

Number five, I lost my virginity to Derek long before he was put in prison, and we got married before he was locked up, so that's why I am not blushing about the conjugal visits. I also have some news that Derek might or might not like.

Now that everyone is up to speed with my life so far, I need to get ready to go see my man.

I put on a mini skirt, Derek's favorite one. It was a jean mini that just barely covered my ass. I put on a black tank top that had a beautiful faded wolf on the front with a racer back and a pair of knee high black leather boots with a stiletto heel. I put on some pale blue makeup that made my eyes pop, some lip gloss, and brushed out my waist length blonde hair.

I stood in front of my full length mirror, assessing. I looked good, but did I look hot? I needed Tori.

"Tori!"

She poked her head in the room. I gestured to myself. "Do I look hot?"

"Hell yeah." She smiled. "Better be careful. Derek might jump you right then and there in full view of the public."

I arched an eyebrow. "This bothers me how?" She just laughed. I smiled and walked down the stairs arm in arm with her. I had finally gotten over my stutter and I could say things like that after having gone through the whole "I'm-here-to-have-sex-with-my-husband" routine at the prison.

I hugged everyone goodbye and left to go see Derek. I made the thirty-minute trip every Tuesday (with the family) and Thursday and the conjugal visit every other Saturday.

I arrived at the prison with twenty minutes to spare. I sauntered in through the doors and was met by Emilio, who was working the information desk.

I smiled at him. "Hey Emilio. How're are you? The kids?"

"Hello Chloe. I'm fine. The family is fine. Thank you for asking. Oh, Carlos made the tee ball team."

"That's great. Tell him congratulations for me."

If you can't tell, I'm on a first name basis with all the guards of the prison and the warden. After visiting Derek every day I could, people start to recognize you.

I was searched by Bob and scanned by Greg. When I finally arrived at the visitors' area, I could see Derek. He had perked up when he smelt me, but I saw the frown appear as he smelt my news (although, he doesn't know that's what's going on). I could see the wheels turning in his head, calculating. I could see him tense up and I could see his anger rise.

As soon as I was cleared, I hurried over to the table he was seated at. It was too loud for him to hear the tiny heartbeats coming from within me, so all he could do was smell. And he smelled foreign werewolf on _his mate_.

"Der, honey, calm down. I'm not cheating on you." I sat down and he gestured angrily for me to continue.

I looked him in the eye. "I'm pregnant."

His expression was priceless. It was a mixture of shock and relief. I smiled and took his hand. "Can you tell how many pups there are?"

He sat still, focusing, then nodded. I chuckled. "How many?"

"Four." His voice was hoarse.

"You okay, Der?"

He nodded. Then a grin spread across his face. "I'm going to be a dad."

I smiled at him. "Yes, you are." I squeezed his hand. "We are going to have our own family, Der."

He nodded, still smiling. "How far along are you?"

"I'm about three weeks. But I have something else that I need to tell you." I took a deep breath. I knew that this might upset him. "I was turned. I'm now a werewolf/necromancer hybrid."

Derek immediately got angry. He started to stand, but I gripped his hand, silently asking him to sit back down.

He did and I took his other hand. "No, I was not bitten."

"Then ho…the pups."

I nodded. "The only way for that to happen is if all of the pups are boys and…well, I Changed last Sunday. I would have told you last Tuesday, but the family was here and I wanted you to be the first to know and I wanted to tell you in person, so I waited until today. I'm sorry."

Derek nodded. "It's okay. I understand. When you Changed, did it go okay? How painful was it for you?"

"It went okay, and it wasn't too painful. Since it happened naturally, it wasn't too bad. I experimented and I can control my Change. But, I don't have a werewolf's strength or extra senses. I am basically just a wolf when I Change, I'm still me and all, but I don't have extra senses like you do on a normal everyday basis."

Derek smiled. "What do you look like as a wolf?"

"I'm all white, except for the tips of my ears. They're black."

"I can't wait to see you as a wolf." I smiled at him. That had gone over better than I had hoped.

"Since you're still going to be in here for another six months, I was hoping that Tori, Simon, and I could get a jump start on the nursery. We'd just be painting and whatnot."

He looked kind of disappointed that he couldn't be there to help with the nursery. I smiled.

"Der, honey, I refuse to go shopping for our children until you are out of here." He perked up at that. "What? Did you think that I wasn't thinking about you in this?"

He nodded, looking kind of sheepish. I shook my head at him and smiled.

"Derek Souza! You have got to be dense to think that I would skip out on making you spend money on me and the children!"

He chuckled at my words, knowing that I was right. He knew that I would never go shopping for anything concerning the kids without him.

"We have about seven months till they get here, seeing as how fast they're gonna grow and how many of them there are. That'll leave us with a month to buy everything and get things settled."

He nodded. "Yeah. It'll get real interesting real fast." I smiled, knowing that his words were true.

"Now that that's settled, we should think about what color to paint the nursery and how childproof we should make the house."

He smiled. "Blue and indestructible."

"Why blue? How about green? And indestructible is probably best."

"Compromise?" He grinned at me. I had a bad feeling about this.

"What kind of compromise?"

"If you paint the nursery green, I get to paint our bedroom blue. _Our bedroom in our own house_."

I bristled. This was an old discussion of ours. As soon as he was out, he wanted to buy a house of our own. And I wanted to, but I didn't want to move far away from our family. We had yet to come up with a compromise that pleased us both. Then an idea hit me.

"Fine. But, I get to pick the location of the house and we move out of Dad's when the boys are two." He smiled. Apparently, this was a good enough compromise for us both.

"Deal." He picked up my hand and kissed the inside of my wrist, knowing that was a weak spot. I felt my pulse pick up from that touch. Damn him.

Visiting hours were almost up. "I have a doctor's appointment next week with an OB/GYN. His name is Dr. Jeremy Grant. He's going t…"

Derek bristled. "He?"

"Yes, he. He's very professional and he's a supernatural." He still didn't look convinced. "Derek, he's also gay."

He visibly relaxed at that. I sighed. Werewolves and their "no-touching-my-mate" rule.

"Who's going with you?"

"I'm dragging both Simon and Tori with me." I smiled at him. "It'll be fine, Der. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Visiting hour ended, and I got up to leave. Derek grabbed my hand and pulled me over to him. He placed his head against my stomach, listening to our pups. He smiled and placed a kiss over each of the heartbeats. He pulled me down, giving me a chaste kiss, knowing that the guards would have a conniption over anything more passionate.

I smiled and walked away, going home to tell the others of our news.

That night at dinner, I broke the news to Dad, Simon, and Tori.

As casually as I could, I spoke over the conversations taking place.

"I'm pregnant." Total silence erupted.

I looked at Kit and he seemed proud, stunned, but proud. Simon's mouth was hanging open, and Tori was grinning like an idiot. I smiled at them all, waiting to hear what they had to say.

Kit leaned over and hugged me tight. "Congratulations, Baby Girl." I smiled at the nickname he had given me long ago.

Simon was now smiling like an idiot, too. "That's great news, Chlo." He whooped. "I'm gonna be an uncle!"

Tori laughed and reached over and squeezed my hand. "This is amazing Chloe. I'm so happy for you and Derek."

"Speaking of him, does he know?" Kit inquired.

I nodded. "Yeah. I told him earlier today when I went to see him."

Simon smiled. "And? Is he excited?"

"Yup. We even discussed out plans for the nursery and our own house."

Everyone got quiet. "What do you mean your own house?" Tori spoke up nervously.

I squeezed her hand. "It's okay, guys. Chill." I looked at all of them. "I know that you all want to spend more time with him once he free, so I made sure that was possible. We aren't going anywhere until the kids are two and I get to pick where we live. So once we do move, I'm going to make sure we're still close by. Oh, and I volunteered you two to take me to my doctor's appointments."

They both smiled. "I'd love too." Simon told me.

"You bet your ass I'm going." Tori stated.

They all let out a sigh of relief, realizing that we weren't going to disappear. I smiled at them, happy in the knowledge that I had their support and that we were truly a family, no matter how odd.

Tori was the first to speak. "Sooo…does this mean we get to go shopping?"

I laughed. "Kind of." I then explained what Derek and I had worked out.

Tori looked kind of confused. "What's up with the seven months thing?"

Ohhh…Unaware of how werewolves grow. "Werewolves grow faster than a human baby. Instead of nine months, twins usually take about eight months. But seeing as I'm having four children, another month is taken off. If I were going to have six kids, I'd only be pregnant for six months."

"Ohh." She shook her head. "That explains a lot."

"They are also going to grow a little faster than the normal child." Her eyes widened. "Which is good and bad."

"How so?"

"Well, it's good cuz that means less 3 a.m. feedings." I smiled. "But, it's bad cuz it means that we will have to monitor them to make sure that they are growing properly and have all the nutrients they needs. Plus, they're all boys. We're gonna have little hellions running around if they are anything like they're parents."

"Well, shit!" Kit exclaimed. "I forgot about that. Derek was a mature child, but he still knew how to cause lots of trouble. He was five and he accidentally blew up a garden shed with a few household chemicals." He smiled at the memory. "He told me he was trying to make soap that didn't hurt his nose to smell."

"Wow. I did not know that." I smiled, thinking of how interesting our lives going to be with four kids.

Simon looked at me, curious. "What kind of kid were you Chloe?"

I grinned. "Evil. I would hide from everyone and scare the bejeezus out of them when they walked by. And I was loud. Very loud. Oh, and I also got ghosts to scare people when they made me mad." I chuckled at the memory. "Once, while in preschool, this kid kept taking my lunch and kept pushing me down in the mud, ruining my brand new clothes, so I summoned a ghost friend that was a Volo half-demon or something and they picked the kid up by the ankles and let him dangle there in mid-air. Let's just say that I didn't have any problems after that."

They all looked at each other and said at the same time, "We're screwed."

I laughed, imagining it now.

Six months goes by rather quickly when you are busy getting everything ready for your husband to come home, preparing for four kids (painting the nursery, La Mas classes, big ass vitamins, morning sickness, weird cravings, always having to pee, and tons of doctors appointments), and fighting off family members that think you're gonna break. Because of these pesky people, I wasn't allowed to drive myself anywhere, and Derek had told me that he didn't want me coming to visit him anymore once I had reached the four month marker in my pregnancy, fearing that something would happen while I was there. I had only agreed once I made him promise that I could be there when he got out. Our only form of communication had been tem minute phone calls.

I can hardly believe that Derek is getting out of prison today. We could barely contain our excitement as we piled into Kit's truck. Simon helped me up since my stomach was huge, and it was only gonna get bigger for another month.

I smiled, feeling the pups kicking. Tori saw me grinning, so I reached out and took her hand, placing it on my stomach, over one of their kicks. Her eyes widened as she felt it. She smiled at me, silently letting me know that she was happy for me.

As we pulled out of the drive-way, I couldn't help but grin as I pondered my life. If someone had told me that my life would turn out this way, I would have laughed in their face.

I was 22 and a teacher at a school for supernaturals. I taught drama and also gave private lessons to necromancers that had a hard time learning to control their powers. Even though I didn't need them, I had spent a lot of free time learning the incantations and rituals that they would need to successfully and safely practice necromancy, so that I could teach them. I also volunteered at an orphanage so that I could help spot supernatural children and help get them placed with a supernatural family. I was the mate and wife of a wonderful man and a soon-to-be mother. And I had a family, a wonderful family that loved me and supported me. We may not be normal human beings, but I love what I've become.

Suddenly, I became aware of an urgent matter. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of nowhere. "Stop the car!" At my sudden outburst, Kit slammed on the brakes. He looked over at me, searching for the cause of my discomfort. I smiled and climbed out of the truck. "I have to pee."

Everyone just smiled and shook their head, not shocked at all. I hurried behind this huge tree in a field next to the road and popped a squat. I smiled. My life may not be normal, but it sure was interesting.

Once we reached the penitentiary, we all hurried into the front office, waiting for Derek to come out. I smiled and went to say goodbye to Emilio. He smiled at me as I approached.

"Damn, girl. You've gotten a lot bigger than the last time I saw you. But you look wonderful."

I grinned at him. "Why thank you Emilio. You don't look too bad yourself."

"So, today's the big day." He grinned at me. "You get to spring Derek."

I nodded, positively glowing at the thought. "I am soo happy." I had missed him. We hadn't gotten to see each other for two months now and I had been going through Derek withdrawal.

He smiled. "You look it. Good luck with your family, Chloe. I wish you all the best."

I could hear Derek's voice as he walked towards the door. He sounded happy.

I grinned at Emilio. He winked at me and said, "Just make sure that that man of yours doesn't faint in the delivery room. A big guy like Mr. Souza might leave a dent."

I chuckled at the growl that I could hear come from the other side of the door.

He had finally reached the door. He stopped so that the guard Greg could take the cuffs off of his wrists. He shook his and stepped through the door.

Derek was finally free.

At the thought, I felt tears well up, a few falling. He walked over and gave everyone a hug, saving me for last. I beamed up at him as he crushed me against him, tilting my face up so that he could kiss me. He ravaged my mouth, staking his claim on me, possessively raking his hands up and down my body. His actions silently telling me that he had missed me. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he broke the kiss, and I buried my head in his chest. I was still rather short and I only reached the middle of his chest. He just held me, knowing that I needed to let out my emotions. As I looked up at Derek's face, I saw the wonder in his eyes at finally being free. I felt more tears well up and my knees became weak. Derek instinctively knew what was going on with me, so he just picked me up, cradling me close.

"Simon could you grab my box?"

Simon looked over at us, at me cradled in Derek's arms, and smiled. "Sure, bro. Where's it at?"

Derek gave him a half-smile. "The guard is bringing it."

He nodded and went to stand by the front desk.

Derek started out the door, following Kit and Tori out to the truck. Once we reached it, Derek opened the door and placed me on the seat. He ran around to the other side and climbed in, pulling me onto his lap. I smiled and snuggled into his chest, his embrace tightening, making me feel safe and loved. I felt Derek kiss the top of my head. I smiled and drifted off, the babies and the emotional rollercoaster making me slumber.

I woke to the sound of laughs in the kitchen. I noticed that my jeans had been replaced by my favorite pair of green sweats and I was in one of Derek's shirts. I smiled, knowing exactly who had made sure I was comfortable before letting me sleep.

As I made my way out to the kitchen, the scene before me, made me smile and tears well up. Stupid hormones.

Derek was sitting at the table, next to my regular chair and everyone else was sitting in their normal spot. Derek smelled me and looked up, meeting my eyes and giving me a smile. He looked so happy and carefree. I beamed at him and went to sit by him.

As I sat, I realized that I was starving. "I'm hungry." I smiled my best smile at Simon and batted my eyes at him. He chuckled and got up, knowing exactly what I wanted.

Derek just looked lost…and kind of hurt. I leaned against his shoulder and rubbed his arm, silently letting him know that everything would be fine.

Simon came back to the table, setting my snack in front of me. It was a bowl of milk and cheerios with sliced up pickles in it and honey drizzled over it. As I took a bite of the heavenly food, Tori made a face and smiled at me. I felt eyes on me and looked up to see Derek staring at me, horrified. I smiled at him and continued eating.

"Ummm…Chloe…please tell me why you are eating that."

Simon, Kit, and Tori all busted out laughing.

I chuckled. "Well, Derek, when a man and a woman love each other very much, miracles happen that lead to weird snacks being devoured."

He chuckled at that and everyone just started talking about anything and everything, trying to catch up on each other's lives.

Eventually I got uncomfortable sitting in the kitchen chair and started to fidget. Derek noticed and said that we should move to the living room. When I went to sit down in my favorite spot on the couch, Simon and Tori ran to get all my favorite pillows and things to make me absolutely comfortable. They had done this so many times that it was habit. I sat down and Simon moved the foot stool in front of me, propping my feet on it on top of two soft pillows. Tori grabbed my favorite support pillow and gave it to me so I could put it behind me and covered me with my favorite downy soft blanket. I noticed Derek hanging back, uncertain of what to do, and I patted the seat next to me. He sat down and I snuggled into his side, relaxing as he wrapped an arm around me.

As everyone else sat in their normal seats, I whispered to him. "Der, you'll notice that no one made a move to sit by me. They made sure that when you got to come home that you would be included in all of our arrangements. They even wrote down all my weird cravings and schedules so that you could catch up. They weren't trying to exclude you, it's just habit. I felt him smile against the top of my head and relax, realizing that they had thought of him during the whole pregnancy and what his absence would mean to him.

The topic of the conversation soon turned to me and the pups. Kit asked if the next doctor's appointment was still tomorrow.

"Yes, it is. Dr. G is worried about my size at the moment. He said he still wants to keep and eye on me. He's been monitoring me very closely. What he's really worried about is the fact that I'm supposed to get bigger over the next month and is threatening me with bed rest."

Derek growled. "Chloe, why is it that this is the first time I'm hearing about this?"

I looked up at my angry husband, calmly. "Because I made everyone swear not to say anything to you. I didn't want you worried until you were out." I could see the anger and hurt in his eyes. "I'm sorry, honey, but I didn't want you worrying about me and our pups when you couldn't do anything about it. Don't forget that I know that when you're over stressed, Changing becomes horrendously hard and painful. I refused to put you through that. And besides, I was in good hands. Every hour of every day I have someone with me. Our family knew that'd you'd want that and made sure to keep an eye on me at all times. They've been on a schedule for babysitting me and I've been to see Dr. G once a week. Plus, they all have "Chloe-emergency beepers"."

Seeing that what I said was the truth, Derek relaxed a little. He looked to the others for confirmation of what I said and seeing their nods, his anger abated.

Kit smiled at him. "Once you get settled and decide if you want to go get a job right away or wait, we'll work up a new schedule." He stood and went to get a notebook/scrapbook. He handed it to Derek. "Here, son. You might like to have this."

Derek flipped it open and realized what it was. Inside, there were dozens of Polaroids of me at various stages of the pregnancy, my favorite snacks, what time I needed a nap, random things that happened everyday that everyone thought were important or funny. There was also a doctor's note from every appointment I ever went to. We had had Dr. G write down what we had discussed, his directions for me, and any concerns that had come up.

Derek closed the book slowly, letting his hand rest on it as if it was the most precious thing he possessed (besides me, of course). He looked up at our family, speechless, realizing for the first time that even though he wasn't there, everyone had always thought about him.

"Thank you." Everyone nodded at him, happy that he was home.

He kissed my temple and whispered to me, "I love you, baby."

I smiled, snuggled closer, and whispered, just for him, "I love you, too, sugar." I felt him smile at my private nickname for him.

Things were perfect.

The next day, Derek drove me to my doctor's appointment. He seemed nervous about something.

"Der, you okay?" I glanced at him. "You seem nervous."

He stared out the window, waiting on the light. He nodded.

"Der, honey, come on. What's wrong?"

He glanced at me. "What if I make a horrible father? I mean, I put you in this predicament to begin with. I just got out of prison. What does that say about me?"

Shocked, I was speechless for a few minutes. Derek glanced at me before making a turn. I knew there was a gas station a block ahead. "Derek, pull into the gas station on the next block, please."

As soon as he did, I unbuckled my seat belt and turned to him, waiting for him to turn the truck off. He sat there looking out the window, refusing to look at me.

"Derek." Nothing.

"Derek!" He finally turned to me.

"Listen up and listen well." I grabbed his hands, needing the physical contact. "You are going to be a wonderful father." He made a move to protest, but I cut him off. "No, listen to me. You are going to be a wonderful father." I smiled tearfully at him. "While I was sleeping, I know you read every page of the notebook, memorizing it. You went and checked out the nursery, making sure that everything was up to your standards. This morning, you made breakfast for me and our pups, making sure that the five of us ate well. As for you putting me in this predicament, if I recall, I bought the lingerie that led to my disposition. It also takes two to do the horizontal mambo." I smiled saucily at him. "You just getting out of prison makes no difference. You were protecting me, your mate, from harm. Yes, you may be a temperamental werewolf with an overprotective streak, but you are the best man I know." I placed his hands on my gigantic stomach, willing him to realize that I spoke the truth. "And I know that you will be a wonderful father that loves our children and that you would protect all of us with your dying breath."

He smiled at me, one of hi only-for-you smiles and pulled me into him for a fierce kiss.

Breaking apart, Derek spoke, staring into my eyes. "I love you, Chloe."

I smiled, placing my hand on his cheek. "I love you, too, Derek. I always have and always will."

Settling back, he started the truck and continued on to the doctor's.

Once we got there, he let me out at the entrance and went to park. I had just checked in when Dr. G came out to get me.

"Hello, Chloe." He smiled warmly at me. "Where's the entourage? I would have thought that the others wouldn't let you come by yourself."

I smiled. He was in for a surprise. "Oh, I'm not by myself."

Just at that moment, I felt an arm wrap around my waist. I smiled, leaning back into the firm chest behind me.

"Hell no, she can't come by herself." Derek basically growled. I rubbed his forearm, calming him.

Dr. G's eyes widened as he realized who Derek must be.

I smiled. "Dr. G, this is my husband, Derek. Derek, this wonderful man is Dr. Jeremy Grant."

Dr. G held out his hand, which Derek reluctantly shook.

"Well, come on back, guys." He turned and headed back to a familiar exam room. He gave me a gown and I went to change.

As I came back out, Dr. G was trying to have a civil conversation with Derek. I chuckled, the doctor was having no luck.

I went to sit in the stirrups, familiar with Dr. G's routine.

"Der, honey, give the man a break. All he's heard about you is how wonderful you are, even if you were locked up." I smiled at him, noting a slight redness to Derek's cheeks. I turned to Dr. G, who had pulled out a stool. "You'll have to forgive him, he's a little antisocial. I was hoping having four kids would break him of the habit, but alas, my sole reason for getting knocked up failed miserably." Dr. G just chuckled at me, used to my weird jokes by now.

I glanced at Derek and winked. He just shook his head and smirked at me. Well, he was smirking until the doc pulled out the sonogram that went inside me. He went kind of pale at that.

I reached out and grasped his hand. He seemed grateful for that.

"So, Chloe, have any problems this past week?"

I shifted a little when he started probing at me. "Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary. No swelling, thank God, and I've been taking all my vitamins, no pains at all, but I still have to pee a lot."

He smiled as he focused on the screen, bring our babies into view. "That's great. And the peeing a lot is normal for this type of pregnancy."

I heard Derek gasp as he locked his gaze on the screen, seeing our children for the first time. He had seen the pictures of the other ultrasounds, but being here was different. I squeezed his hand, knowing what he was feeling. He kissed my temple as the doctor wrapped up the ultrasound. He then got out the normal one, the one that you use on top of the belly, and proceeded to check on the babies from a different view. Like I said, he was worried and wasn't taking any chances.

As he finished up that one, he had me sit up so that he could check my spine, making sure that everything was still okay back there. Carrying werewolf pups can cause you to slip a disc or two, just from the weight and how active they like d to be.

"Well, Chloe, so far, I am very pleased with how things are progressing. Lay back please."

I leaned back so that he could check out my stomach, making sure that nothing looked unusual. Dr. G was very careful with his mothers that were carrying werewolf children. Extra precautions had to be taken. Even different vitamins were given out. Think of them like supped-up preggy vitamins. I smiled as he gave the all-clear that everything was still running smoothly.

"Okay, Chloe. Everything looks wonderful. So far, no need for bed rest, but I would like you to sleep a few more hours every day, just to be safe. Okay?"

"Awww…I already sleep enough as it is."

"Chloe." For the first time during the appointment, Derek spoke. With that one word, I basically caved. I knew he was worried and wouldn't let me out of the bed if I wouldn't sleep.

I sighed. "Fine, doc. You win. A few more hours sleep."

Dr. G smiled at Derek. "I like you. Please come back. I normally have to fight with her on the sleep thing."

Derek gave him a half smile. "Chloe just knows that I wouldn't let her leave the bed if she didn't listen to you. I'd end up keeping her on forced bed rest until show time."

Dr. G laughed at that. "Now I've seen it all. My most stubborn patient married someone just as stubborn."

Derek chuckled. Chloe could tell that he was warming up to the man. "Alright you two, no tag-teaming on me." I couldn't help but smile at the two of them.

As we left the doc's, Derek spotted a Babies 'R Us and pulled in.

"Der, honey, what're you planning?"

"Well, the pups are going to need a place to sleep and clothes." He pulled out a piece of well-worn paper and handed it to me.

As I unfolded it, I realized that it was a list of supplies we'd need for the pups. I felt tears well up again.

"How long have you had this?"

"Since the day you told me you were pregnant. Everything we need is on there. I put down everything I knew we'd need and once I got home, Simon, Tori, and I looked up what I was missing."

I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss, touched that he had thought of this.

I waited for Derek to come around and help me out of the truck, knowing if I didn't let him, he'd be upset.

As we walked in we grabbed two carts. "Let's get the little stuff first, then go back to furniture."

I agreed and we walked over to the clothes. "Let's get everything from new born to two year olds. They are going to grow pretty fast and we can save time by doing it this way. And we should make sure we get plenty of everything, enough to clothe six kids. I just know we're gonna have messy kids." He nodded smiling as he went to pick out clothes for our kids.

We got so many clothes that half of one cart was full of just clothes. As we made our way towards the bottles and all of the baby accessories, I grinned as I saw a stack of stuffed animals. In the middle of them all were four wolf cubs. I picked them up and stuck them in the cart, planning on surprising Derek with them.

We got all the bottle, binkies, bottle nipples, bibs, and everything else and we arrived at the bedding department. We got tons of sheets, and bedding supplies, but we stopped at the baby blankets.

We got a different one for each of the boys. We got a blue and black plaid one, a dark green one that had a forest scene on it, a pale yellow one that had tribal suns on it, and a pale blue knit one. They were all soft and fuzzy and sure to be warm.

We finally made it to the furniture. We got two changing tables, four dressers, and we found four cribs that were made of steel and we knew that they'd be perfect for little werewolves. After we loaded them up, we came across a playpen/fence for kids. Knowing that werewolf pups liked to sleep in a "puppy pile" sometimes, I pointed it out to Derek. He grinned and loaded it up in the cart. But with a playpen like that, we'd need a mat or something for the floor. We finally found one that was soft enough and we loaded that too.

As we made our way to the counter, we got a few weird looks. It might have been because either cart was too heavy for me, so Derek had both or the fact that we had four cribs and enough clothes to clothe a small army. Or it could have just been the fact that I was so tiny and Derek so large. I smiled, not caring a fig about why they were staring.

We made it to the counter and the cashier almost bugged out at the number of items in our carts.

"Hello. You obviously found everything okay." Jane, the cashier stated.

I smiled at her. "Yes, we did." I chuckled. "We're expecting four babies."

Her eyes widened at the number. "Have fun with that, honey. I had a set of twins and they were enough for me and my husband to deal with." She started ringing up all the items Derek had sat on the conveyor belt.

I smiled at her. "Well, if it was just us two, I'd be a little worried, but we have lots of support, so we'll be okay."

She smiled. "That's good to hear, honey. It's a cryin' shame how many young couple come in here and tell me that they're on their own." She shook her head.

"I know. It's crazy what some people have to deal with for a family." I smiled and gestured to Derek. "My husband and I got lucky with ours." _I love being able to introduce him and say that he's my husband._

She smiled and continued to ring up our purchases. Once she was done, the grand total was $4, 563.39. I didn't even blink as I pulled out my debit card.

"Debit please." Jane's eyes widened. I noticed and told her, "Been saving every penny and had a few gifts along the way."

"Thank you, and have a nice day, honey. Good luck to you and your husband."

I smiled and we left, loading everything up and heading for home.

It was quite amusing to see three grown try to put together all the some-assembly-required furniture, instruction manuals discarded.

Once the first crib was put together, I decided to test it. I found the heaviest book I could find, and dropped it in the crib. With a crash, it fell apart. Derek started yelling at Simon cuz he was the one that had helped put it together. I just laughed and threw the instructions at Derek. He finally got the hint and actually used it.

It's a good thing we gave on the biggest rooms to the pups, otherwise, all that furniture would never have fit. Tori and I instructed the guys where to put everything and she and I divided everything up by sizes and put them into the dressers. They'd all being sharing clothes since they wouldn't be old enough to care. Once they reached four, they'd get to pick out what they liked best and we'd put names on everything.

Once we got everything set up like we wanted and everything put away, we had the guys come in and see our handy work. Derek noticed the wolves then, and he picked one up, raising a questioning eyebrow at me. I smiled and he grabbed my hand, understanding my gesture for what it was. He knew that I was perfectly happy with my life and that I didn't care that they would be werewolves.

That night, as Derek and I lay in bed, talking, he brought up an interesting question.

"Hey Chlo, what are we going to name the boys?"

"Hmmm…I think that they should have a unique first name, not something that can be made fun of though, and their middle names should be from the family."

"Okay, then. How about Silas Adam? Simon's middle name is Adam."

I smiled. I love it. My turn. How about…Weylin Christopher? You know, after your dad."

Derek nodded, smiling. "Okay. Two down, two to go. How about Zane Stephen? After your dad?"

"I love it. One more. How about…Rafe Mason? After you?"

He leant over and kissed me. "I absolutely love it. Okay, we have Silas Adam, Weylin Christopher, Zane Stephen, and Rafe Mason."

I beamed at him, loving the fact that he was there with me, helping me choose our children's names. "You know, I have a funny feeling that even after our sons are born, our little family will grow by one more."

"Oh, really? And why is that?"

"Because I think you want a little girl."

He chuckled. "Chloe, I'd be happy with whatever children you bless me with." He turned over and hauled me against his chest, my back to him and his arm draped protectively over my stomach. "I think that we should keep the names to ourselves and surprise everyone on D-Day."

"I think so, too." I smiled and snuggled back into his chest. He tightened his grip and I soon heard his breathing even out.

I fell asleep soon after, a smile still gracing my lips.

Three weeks went by lightning quick. Derek and I had spent every moment we could together, knowing that it would soon be 18nterrupted. He had a job lined up at the police station and would start work after the boys made their much anticipated arrival. He had gone through the police academy and they wanted him to join the force as soon as possible. I grimaced knowing that he was suited for the job, but wishing that he didn't want to work there. He wanted to though, so I'd support him in his decision. He knew I was scared for him, but he had told me that he'd be okay and I believed him. I had to believe him.

I woke one morning alone. I looked around for Derek, wondering where he was at. Then I smelt bacon and eggs. Awww…he's so sweet. I went to stand up and had a hard time. My stomach had gotten even bigger. I had seriously thought that wasn't possible, but I was wrong. As I tried to make my way to the bathroom, I felt something give way and then my legs were soaked and the floor was soaked. I smiled. _It's about time, boys._ I felt the stirrings of a contraction. It was a small one and it hurt like hell already. This was going to be difficult. I breathed deeply, using my breathing exercises I learned.

I dried off with a dirty t-shirt and slipped some sweats on, knowing Derek was going to rush me to the hospital as soon as I told him. I sat down on the bed as another contraction hit me. I breathed through and called for Derek.

As soon as he was I in the doorway, I looked up at him.

"Der, it's show time. Our boys are coming."

He grabbed his keys and wallet, slung my duffle over his shoulder, handed me my purse and picked me up, running to the truck. As soon as I was in the back seat, stretched out, he jumped in the driver's seat, and sped off like a bat out of hell.

I pulled my beeper out and sent a message to Kit, Simon, and Tori. I then called Dr. G.

"Hello, Chloe. What can I do for you?"

"You can get your ass over to the hospital and scrub up. The boys are coming." Another contraction hit and I cried out in pain. "And they're just like their father. Impatient as hell."

"On my way. I'll see you there."

We hung up and I reached between the seats touched Derek's arm. "How you doing up there, honey?" Another contraction hit.

"I should be asking you that. But I'm fine for right now. What about you?" He glanced back, worry etching his face.

"Oh, I'm fine. These contractions hurt horrendously, but I'm okay so far. I sent a message to our family that they need to get to the hospital. They should meet us there. Dr. G is on his way as we speak."

He nodded and sped up, trying to get to the hospital faster.

Thirteen hours and unbelievable pain later…

Chloe sat holding two of her babies, Silas Adam and Weylin Christopher. Derek sat next to her, holding Zane and Rafe.

Silas had his mother's blonde hair and his father's deep green eyes. Weylin had Derek's black hair and Chloe's blue eyes. Zane had his mother's blonde hair and blue eyes. But Rafe was the oddball of the bunch. He had blonde hair with strands of black mixed in, and one blue eye and one green.

Kit, Simon, and Tori came in then. Kit and Simon each taking a baby from Chloe and Tori taking one from Derek. They all looked down with wonder at each little boy.

"Soo…who are we holding?" Simon was the first to speak.

Chloe smiled at him. "Simon's holding Silas Adam." Simon looked up, surprised. "And Kit has Weylin Christopher." Kit looked up, tears in his eyes. They both smiled down at the little boys they were holding, marveling at their namesake.

"Tori is holding Zane Stephen. And Derek has Rafe Mason." Derek smiled and shifted the infant so that he would be more comfortable.

Tori looked up, smiling. "Chloe, those are beautiful names."

Chloe smiled back. "I had help."

The boys turned six today. I smiled, remembering all the good and bad times as I taped some streamers to the ceiling. Derek had the boys with him, keeping them distracted while I set up for their surprise party. Simon and Tori and Kit would be here soon to help.

Derek and I moved out of the house when the boys were two. Luckily, right about then, the next door neighbor put his house up for sale. Luckily for us, it had six bedrooms and was very spacious. Poor Derek. He looked dumbfounded that Lady Luck was in my corner for. We bought the house and we love it. I decorated it, just the way I wanted it, except for the bedroom. That room had to be blue. So, in the end, we both won. We got to keep our family, and we had our own house, and our bedroom was blue.

The boys grew like weeds, the years passing by quickly. They were little hellions alright. Every one of them liked to create mischief and all four together we're formidable. All the boys had inherited Derek's brains, lord help me. They also inherited my creativity. Those two factors put together were cause for some very amusing and sometimes scary occurrences. Last year at the park for the fourth of July, the boys, unbeknownst to us, had somehow made homemade firecrackers. They worked too. The next door neighbor's cat was traumatized. Everyone in the neighborhood knew who's cat it was. And Zane was definitely the ring leader, the alpha of their little pack. It's a good thing he's such a sweet kid, otherwise, we'd have some major problems.

They all may have been little hellions most of the time, but they were sweethearts the rest of the time. Silas was outgoing like Simon, but protective of his family, he was like Derek that way. Weylin was quiet, the strong silent type, just like Derek, but once you got to be his friend, fiercely loyal and he was the peacemaker out of the four, the charmer, like Kit. Zane was the alpha, like Derek, a natural-born leader, but he was kind. Hard-headed most of the time, but kind, so things kind of evened out. And Rafe, he was such a mixture of Derek and I. He was quiet, but very expressive with his gestures, he was strong and determined but shy around others outside his family, he was stubborn, too, but that was to be expected. Both of his parents are stubborn.

As I finished the streamers, I heard a car door slam outside. Not expecting anybody just yet, I went to see who it could be. I saw Caroline's car. I worked with her at the orphanage. She was a witch and one hell of a social worker. Wondering what she was doing here, I went to open the door. As I waited on the porch for her, she got out of the car and then helped a little girl of about four out of the car.

The little girl had fire-red hair and she was as pale as milk. As she approached with Caroline, I could see faint bruises and a few scars on her arms and legs. And there was a beautiful female ghost hovering next to her, bearing the some of the same facial features as the little girl. _Her mother_. I could tell that this little girl needed a family, needed love, in the worst way. As they neared me, the little girl looked like she wanted to run away, she just kept shrinking into herself. _What have they done to you?_

"Hey, Chloe." Caroline greeted me, smiling.

I gave her a quick hug. "Hey yourself. Come on in." I smiled at the little girl and then looked her mother straight in the eye, a silent signal telling her that I could see her. My necklace had dampened my glow to almost nonexistent as I had come to control my gift, so this gesture had been needed.

I sat down on the couch and Caroline sat down on the love seat, next to the little girl. She looked uncomfortable there, so I followed my instincts. "What is your name?"

Realizing that I was taking to her, her eyes snapped towards me, full of fear. "Y-Ye-Y-Yelena."

"That's a beautiful name, Yelena. You may site wherever you want in this room, Yelena." I smiled gently at her. "You need not fear anyone in this house, honey."

Scared and wary, she ran into the corner and sat there, eyes locked on me.

I turned back to Caroline. "I assume that she's one of us?"

Caroline nodded. "Okay, then. Tell me why you have brought her here and not placed her with a family."

"Chloe, she needs your help. She's a necromancer, a powerful one, almost as powerful as you. I've placed her with six different families in the past month, and something has happened at each one. She's been hurt countless times and I know she'd be safe here with you and your family. I know she'd be loved here." She had tears in her eyes as she gazed at me. "Please Chloe, this is her last option. I've got all the paperwork drawn up. All you have to do is say yes and sign them."

I gazed at the little girl, knowing my heart had already said yes. I looked back at Caroline, "Give me a second to place a phone call, and there's someone here I must speak with first."

Caroline nodded and I stood, walking to the master bedroom. As I closed the door, the mother walked into the room.

"My name is Chloe Souza."

"I'm Yasmine, Yelena's mother. You are a necromancer?" She smirked. "How are you powerful? Your glow is so faint as to be nonexistent."

"I wouldn't scoff." I took off my necklace, releasing my glow. Yasmine took a fearful step backward, raising a hand to shield herself. I put my necklace back, knowing any longer would invite too many ghosts to get rid off for a good while.

She blinked, regaining her vision. "I am sorry Chloe. Forgive me for my rudeness."

"It's okay. Happens quite often. I've gained complete control of my gift and the necklace helps hide the glow even further. Now, about your little girl. Does she know that you are here?"

She nodded. "I can move things, so I've talked to her using a pen and paper. That is not in the rules, so it's allowed."

"Okay. I can tell she is severely hurt. What has happened to her?"

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes. "I cannot speak of it. You can ask Caroline later, but I will tell you, she has suffered great evils and, she is scarred inside and out from it. How do I know that I can trust you?"

"My world around the spirit world is as good as gold. You have my word that if she stays here, she will be safe and loved."

Yasmine's eyes welled with tears again. "Thank you, Chloe. I have one last question."

I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"What of your family? Will they accept her here? And who is your husband?"

"That's three." I smiled, gently at her, understanding the need to protect your child. I picked up a picture of the nine of us, Derek and I, the boys, Kit, Simon, and Tori. I pointed Derek out. "He is my husband, and my four boys stand in front of us all. They are werewolves." Her eyes widened at this. "Before you freak, listen. My husband is a kind person. Protective of his family. My children are like him in both respects. Yelena will be safe here."

"What of the others in this photo?"

"My father-in-law, a sorcerer, my brother-in-law, a sorcerer, and my sister-in-law, a witch. Now considering that they aren't werewolves, and that my husband is one, so you believe that he is safe?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Chloe. My daughter has finally found a home."

"I know that Yelena will not believe right off the bat if she stays here, so I'll need your help to convince her."

"I'll do whatever I can."

"Thank you, Yasmine." I smiled at her. "I need to call Derek though, to ask if he is willing to help."

She nodded, waiting while I called him. He answered on the first ring.

"Hey, baby." I could here the boys in the background. I smiled.

"Hey, honey. I need to ask you something very serious."

"Ask."

"Caroline is here, honey. She has a little girl with her that needs our help." I felt tears well up. "Der, she's covered in bruises and scars from previous abuse. She's a powerful necromancer and she's only four. She needs us."

"Okay, Chloe. She can stay. Does she need anything? Me and the boys can stop and pick some stuff up."

"Thank you, Der. But I think we'll worry about that later. Can you put me on speaker phone so that I can ask the boys?"

"Yeah, one sec." I could hear him push the button and round up the boys. "Go ahead."

"Hey sweethearts."

A chorus of "hi, mas" could be heard.

"Boys, I need to ask you a serious question."

A chorus of "okays".

"Guys, there is a little girl that needs our help. Are you willing to welcome a little sister into our home and family?"

"Yes, Mom." Weylin.

"Sure, Mom." Rafe.

"Okay, Mom." Silas.

One more…"Yes, Mom." Zane.

Derek took me off speakerphone, so he could talk to me. "Do you want me to keep the boys out till the original time?"

"Yeah, this way, if she wants to stay, she can have a little time before being bombarded by our hellions."

"Okay. See you when we get home. I love you."

"Love you, too, sugar." I could feel his smile.

I grinned, thanked him, hung up and went to tell Caroline the news.

I beamed at Caroline as I entered the living room. "I have the all-clear. She can stay." I looked at Yelena. "That is if you want to stay here, honey."

She looked scared, so I walked over to the coffee table, grabbed the pen and paper there and sat them down in front of her. I looked at Yasmine.

"Go ahead, Yasmine." Yelena's eyes widened at her mother's name.

The pen started to move. It said…

_Yelena, Chloe is a good person. She's like you. You can trust her. You have a home again. I have to go now. The light is calling me. I love you baby._

Yelena started to cry as she read what her mother wrote. "Bye, Mama." She shook silently with her sobs. I reached out a laid a hand on her arm, trying to comfort her.

She stilled at the touch, then she flew into my arms. I held her tightly as she cried into me.

"It's okay, honey. I know. You're safe."

At the word safe, she shook harder. I just sat there, holding her, letting her let it out. I glanced over at Caroline. She had tears running down her face.

She spoke quietly. "This is the first time she's shown anything other than fear."

I smoothed Yelena's hair, kissing her temple as she quieted. She still had a fierce grip on me, so I couldn't pull back to see her face.

"Yelena, honey, I'm going to stand up, alright?" She nodded and years of practice came into play as I stood up. I walked over to the couch and sat down, cradling Yelena to me, humming Daydream Believer to her, as I had done for all of my upset children.

After a while, she relaxed her grip on me. She leaned back and looked up at me, slight fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

I smiled at her. "Yelena, you have nothing to be sorry for."

She gave me a slight smile. She sat up, still sitting on my lap, and turned to Caroline. "I want to stay here."

Caroline and I smiled, but I was a little nervous. She still didn't know about Derek and the boys.

"Yelena, I have to tell you something before you make a final decision."

She turned back to me, anxiety written across her face, waiting.

"My husband, Derek, and my four boys are werewolves." Her eyes widened. "Are you still willing to live here, knowing this?"

She was quiet for a few minutes. "Before I answer, can I ask a question?"

"Sure. What's the question, honey?"

"If I stay here, will they eat me?"

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Shaking my head, I answered. "No honey, they wouldn't eat you. Yes, there are werewolves that do that, but they are not some of them. All of them eat so much fruit it's not even funny." I smiled at her.

She gave me a small smile. "Okay." She turned back to Caroline. "I'd still like to stay."

Caroline beamed at her. "Okay, Yelena. I'll go get your stuff from the car." Caroline hurried out the door, almost as if she were afraid that if she moved too slow, Yelena would change her mind.

Yelena looked around the room at the streamers that I had hung up and turned to me. "Chloe, were you going to have a party?"

"Yes. Today is my boys' birthday." I smiled. "They turn six today."

She looked saddened. "Okay. I'll stay out of the way."

"Yelena, if you are going to stay here, you need to understand something. You are family. Staying here means that I Derek and I are your new guardians and the boys are your new brothers." Her eyes widened in wonder. "We have a strong sense of family in this house and within our whole family. You are now a part of that. You are not just some little girl that's going to be staying with us. Derek and I look at you like you are our daughter. Yes, he has not met you yet, but because you are important to me, he's already accepted you as pack, as family. And our boys accept you as their sister. This is your home."

Tears fell down her cheeks as she saw the truth of my words reflected in my eyes. I smiled as she hugged me tight.

"Thank you, Chloe."

I smiled at her, knowing that our family was now complete.

And to think…this all started over a few short skirts and iron bars…

**Yay! I finished! Sooo…what do you guys think? Review please! Pretty please?**

**I hope it's as good as I was hoping it'd turn out. Let me know if you want me to continue. I had originally thought of it as a one-shot, but I could see it be a three or four and maybe an epilogue.**

**Let me know! Otherwise, it stays as it is! I need at least five reviews saying that it is worth continuing…the more the better. :D**


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